2 shooting questions

[pinemarten]

A newbie here with new questions every time I come back from roving...

Can I use crc brake cleaning fluid to clean out left over Barricade when I shoot on weekends? I've seen in a search that some use alcohol or other things to get oil out before going off to shoot. I don't know if the stuff would hurt anything or possibly get on my full stock by the muzzle and muss up the finish or not. I have a big can of it from cleaning up my revolver when I first bought it.

Other question, I am shooting with kids (teens ) sometimes. I am teaching them absolute safety. For that reason, should I swab between every shot to eliminate any risk of a load going off while a kid is pushing a ball down over a charge? I see some posts on the site that talk about that happening and I kinda cringe when I think of my kids loading the gun. Safety tips to reduce this risk to the max would be hugely appreciated!

Oh, and if I can ask you guys one more question before you go... My flinter has a Perma (something..) finish. Any problem mixing up different stock protections on that finish? For example, I have Johnson's wax, boiled linseed, and Permawax in by cabinet now...can I use any of these as they run out ?

Thanks for your patience and any advise!

Daniel

 

[coloradoclyde]

I would not use brake cleaner.......
I would use alcohol.....
HEET in the yellow bottle that you put in your gas tank work fine.....

 

[coloradoclyde]

Other question, I am shooting with kids (teens ) sometimes. I am teaching them absolute safety. For that reason, should I swab between every shot to eliminate any risk of a load going off while a kid is pushing a ball down over a charge? I see some posts on the site that talk about that happening and I kinda cringe when I think of my kids loading the gun. Safety tips to reduce this risk to the max would be hugely appreciated!

Yes!....I would support any safe, safety action you take when around children.....Including loading it for them.....

 

[pinemarten]

Thank you! These kids are my older teens, so I think they are ready to load them selves under my watch...

Daniel

 

[coloradoclyde]

There are added advantages to cleaning between shots....
Easier loading , especially if you are using a wooden ramrod.
Easier cleaning at the end of the day.
Though I can't say your gun will be more accurate it does add a level of consistency.

What are you going to wipe with?

 

[pinemarten]

Flannel spit patch

 

[coloradoclyde]

A mixture of equal parts murphy's oil soap, alcohol and water also makes a great wiping solution. It's what I use.
One damp and two dry patches flipping them over does the trick.

 

[Patocazador]

I just chew on a clean patch when shooting the previous shot. In my flinter, one push down (not all the way into the breech) and pull it back out. I never experience a hang-fire or misfire that way.

If I push the patch all the way down, the cruddy black powder residue sometimes blocks the touch hole plus it is difficult to pull the rod and patch back out.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Brake cleaner works great at dissolving oil in the bore and breech area, and finish on the stock! :idunno:

 

[Dane]

Guys, I just don't understand why everyone wants to make black powder guns so complicated.
Black powder is water soluble, and does not need anything to clean it out other than room temp water.
Petroleum products are also not necessary, or recommended. Because they don't dilute black powder, they can gum everything up. Don't use them, and you don't have to clean them out of the barrel.
There are a multitude of products to prevent rust, and all that's required is a dry patch before shooting.
I use a moose milk formula for shooting, and can shoot all day without cleaning between shots.
Clean with tap water.
Breakfree CLP to prevent rust between outings.

Easy peasy.

 

[Dave Marsh]

+1 for me. It is not complicated.

Dave

 

[coloradoclyde]

30 years ago I started documenting what people use to clean and protect the ML's
I'm on volume 42 now with no end in sight..... :haha:

 

[coloradoclyde]

+1 for me. It is not complicated.

Dave

Shhhhh! it's supposed to be a secret. If people find out how easy it is we'll have every Rat-atat-tat, cachink, and kaboom wanting to own one..... :haha:

 

[Spikebuck]

My flinter has a Perma (something..) finish. Any problem mixing up different stock protections on that finish? For example, I have Johnson's wax, boiled linseed, and Permawax in by cabinet now...can I use any of these as they run out ?

Everyone else has already touched on your other questions...A good FURNITURE/wood flooring paste wax (no car wax) once in a while should be fine. I use Johnson's. Some here have mentioned the expensive brand used by museums as the best (can't remember the name).

I don't think boiled linseed oil is going to do much for you on an already finished and sealed stock. If your stock was originally finished only with BLO, then maybe, but it sounds like maybe it's been finished with Permalyn? If so, they claim "It is impervious to water, alcohol, detergents, bore cleaner and most other solvents" so I doubt it's going to let any BLO soak in.

 

[pinemarten]

...for the swab between shots safety part of my question. I am assuming some would feel that the moist patch pushed down to the bottom of the barrel will put out any smoldering fouling that would ignite a charge as you load (..here I am thinking of various accounts on the forum of people shooting off ramrods as they load)? It was interesting that some just push down to where the charge sits but not all the way...sort of pushing down the fouling to clean the barrel for loading but wouldn't put out a spark down in some accumulated fouling at the bottom. If this isn't necessary for safety, I will probably skip the between shot wipes, unless it improves safety significantly. But I do want to pass on the best safety to the kids...

I know I overcomplicate things...just want to do everything best I can in the beginning, and later can cut any corners that I don't find necessary.

Daniel

 

[coloradoclyde]

I don't know anyone who has shot out a ramrod from cleaning.....

The shot ramrods that I know of came from bench shooters that would leave the ramrod in the barrel after loading as a "loaded indicator"
Then they still forget and shoot it down range...

One of the hazards of B.S'ing with your buddies.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Also when I swab I go all the way to the bottom.....it works for me but causes issues for others. In the event that I do get a hang fire, I just do a quick pump flush with an alcohol cleaning solution or water followed by alcohol

 

[necchi]

The idea the behind between shot wipe is consistency.
Each shot of powder adds fouling to the barrel, every following shot adds more fouling,, and this continues until with most folks they wait 5-10 shots then wipe the barrel just so they can load the next shot.
A lightly damp patch between each shot won't remove all the fouling,, just most of it. The next shot goes off, more fouling, another wipe to take most of the fouling out,,
Following this?
The idea is to have the same amount of fouling present with each shot.

Consistency.

I am assuming some would feel that the moist patch pushed down to the bottom of the barrel will put out any smoldering fouling that would ignite a charge as you load

Not really,
The act of pushing the patch down forces air out of the nipple or vent, the wisdom is that the rushing air will extinguish/exhaust the fuel supply of any smoldering ember. You can witness smoke coming out of the vent,, when it stops coming out there's no ember.

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

I use my own Moose milk cleaning concoction to clean my stuff. I also use it to lube my patches. I have my patches damp enough that of you fold them over several times and squeeze them you'll get a wee bit of liquid that is reabsorbed when the pressure is released. This around a ball being pushed down the barrel acts as a cleaning going down. The shot re-fouls the barrel, the next shot cleans it about the same. This repeats each time you load and then shoot. I don't use the patches as damp when I hunt because I only shot a shot or a couple. But shooting a match. I've held Very Good accuracy because of the consistency of the barrel wipe action between shots. Fouling doesn't build up like you'd think. What ever you do, you should trial and error your own procedures.

 

[Sun City]

I've used 'Brake Cleaner' on my Sharps rifles for years with no ill effects to clean exterior residue! Just wipe it off the wood if necessary to clean BP reside....NOTHING works better than plain water for cleaning the bore however! I've used a mixture of machine cutting oil and water....for years at a ratio of oil/water 1-5 to clean fouling within the bore followed with two patches of dry and it works great! However I do not have to clean involving sub zero temps so that must be considered!